Many stories with absolutely no relation to each other
by ClockworkCaptain
Summary: One shots for the season four of the Pro-bending writing competition as such they'll be pretty random. Stories include characters: Mako, Lin, Iroh, Korra, Tahno, Bolin, Azula, Sokka, Yue (will update as needed)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So these one shot stories are for the forth season of the Pro-bending competition as such there will probably be no connecting factors or constant characters or setting. Important information will be addressed in the author's note at the start of each chapter. For instance this story is a ghost/tragedy story centered on Mako.

 **Important Information:**

Toza's gym challenge  
Team: Ember Island Eelhounds  
Position: Waterbender

Word count: 1810

Weights: 1201 - 2000 words - 4 points

The Dancer

Mako's whole body hurt as he walked back to his empty apartment. Another bad guy was behind bars after another brawl, another fall through a window, another rough day. The punks had been fencing stolen items from the Fire Nation embassy; including items from the recently murdered princess. Some people had no class. One of the thugs had even broken a hand mirror and stabbed Mako in the leg with a large shard. It hurt like hell and Mako really hoped it would not become infected. He really could not afford a doctor or any time off from work at the moment.

Opening his door the aging detective passed the pictures of his friends and family. He barely looked at them anymore; they were all living their happy lives while he was here doing the same thing over and over again. Like one of those organ grinder lemurs, just wind him up and watch him dance for your amusement. Mako walked over to his fridge and pulled out a cold beer. Settling down on the sofa, Mako took a large gulp and turned on the radio before drifting off to sleep. Something moved at the corner of his eye just as he was falling but Mako was too tired to really care and ignored it.

He woke a few hours later with a start as the usual drone of the radio switched to the chimes of a music box. Mako looked around to see what had caused the change and found the radio powered down completely. He tried to turn it back on but the thing would not power up, nor would the lamp next to it all while the music grew steadily more annoying. Puzzled, Mako got up and limped towards the sound, which was now clearly coming from the hall out side his door. He grumbled under his breath. "Why didn't people get that at this hour people wanted to sleep and not listen to their overly loud music boxes?"

Thoroughly annoyed, Mako wrenched open the door and looked down the hall. It was completely black and Mako guessed that the power was out in the whole complex. To his left something moved in the shadows. Mako made a fire with his and stood there stunned for a moment. On the pealing wall was the silhouette of a ballet dancer turning to the music but there was not anyone there to cast the shadow.

"I've got to still be dreaming." He muttered turning back into his room.

 _"No, don't leave."_

Mako spun around. "Who said that?"

 _"I did, please come and stay with me. Let's not be alone."_

"What?! Who are you?"

 _"I'm so alone please, don't let me be alone."_

"Are you trapped?"  
 _"Help me."_

"How."

 _"Find me. I'm right here."_

Mako strained his eyes for any more movement in the darkness but there was nothing there to see. Even the dancer's shadow has disappeared. He waited a moment for the voice to speak again but the hall was completely silent. Shaking his head and swearing never to drink before bed again he turned back to apartment and found himself in another hallway.

Mako groaned. "Great, looks like I'm not going to wake up anytime soon. Better get this over with. You know it's Korra's job to deal with weird stuff not me! I'm just a detective! I solve murders not cryptic as hell dreams!"

Cursing under his breath he walked down the hall following the music. It never seemed to get louder or softer but stayed at the same Omni present volume. After walking for what seemed like a mile, Mako tried a few of the random doors. Most of them were locked or opened up into the same dark hallway but one opened up into a red hallway lit with torches. Figuring this was the best way to progress Mako walked through the door and into the red hallway.

As he walked, Mako passed large paintings. The first was of a small girl playing with what looked like a teenaged Iroh. The next had the girl alone a picture of Iroh on a desk surrounded by letters. Mako walked further and found a third picture with the girl in slippers striking a graceful pose.

"That must be Princess Zula." Mako muttered. "But she's dead so why am I here? I'm not special, I never even met her." He looked up at the painting. "Kind of wish I did though, she looks like she needs a friend."

Frowning he kept walking and checking the paintings. They were all the same: the princess alone in a room holding a slightly different ballet pose. It was only after he passed the tenth one he realized the pictures were showing the years passing and now he was looking at young woman not a girl. Mako looked down the hall at the pictures he had passed.

"She's been alone ever since her brother left." He looked up at the portrait and gazed up at her melancholy face. Her golden eyes, which had shown so brightly in the first picture, had lost all their luster. Walking further he saw more of the same, Zula dancing. Sometimes she was in a room and sometimes she was on stage. She smiled while on stage but in the empty room she wore a frown. "Poor thing."

Mako came to the end of the hall where a music box with a broken leg spinning on the top stood below the last painting. Looking down Mako picked up the rest of the ceramic figure off the floor and looked up at the final portrait of the hall: Zula laying the sage surrounded by white flowers.

Mako looked around and spotted two doors on either side of the picture that had not been there before. Mako tried the one on the right and entered into a dusty nursery. All the picture frames were empty and the toys placed perfectly as if on display. Mako walked over to the crib and found it filled with torn up photos of the princess and a different man. He picked up one that looked the most recent and read the back.

"That dream is dead." Mako's shoulders slouched as he turned to look at the room in a new light. It was all so perfectly laid out. "A dream that never had the chance to happen."

He felt a pang of regret in the nursery. It was true he had nieces and nephews and was even called 'uncle' by Korra and Asami's kids but it was not the same as being a parent. Mako sighed, he had always hoped to become one but the right lady just never came around and single men cannot adopt. It just was not a thing. Mako shook his head, he was trapped in this dream the last thing he needed to do was feel sorry for himself.

Mako left the room and tried the other. Now he was in a dressing room, posters of ballets covered the wall while doctors' letters and bills covered the floor in a trail. Mako fallowed it to a broken mirror and bloodied vanity where the princess lay slumped over a gun just below her limp hand. Mako stepped back starting to panic.

"Ok, I really want to wake up now." Mako looked at himself in the broken mirror and saw in the reflection the princess with an arm wrapped around his neck.

 _"Hello handsome."_ She whispered in his ear. _"Want to join me?"_

Mako quickly moved away to face the specter that was a dead ringer for the last portrait, right down to the broken bloodied leg. Mako cringed looking at it, the thing was barely hanging on by a tendon.

Zula's eyes narrowed. _"Bet you're wondering what happened here aren't you?"_

Mako nodded still backing up. "I thought from the picture you just fell or something what did you do to it?"

 _"I did nothing!"_ She shrieked. _"It was that damned Lia! She did this to me! She took away the only I had all to get what she hadn't worked for."_ The phantom was all out seething before she caught herself and became composed again. _"Well as they say cheaters never win."_

She pointed to something and Mako followed her finger to a pile of papers on the floor. He picked up an old newspaper article reporting a story about the newest dancer in Republic City; the woman was not named Lia. Mako looked up.

"She didn't get what she wanted."

Zula shook her head. _"No, I called up an old friend from back home who runs a dance academy send over his brightest pupil. Lia was passed over for a girl half her age."_ Zula laughed darkly. _"Not even sleeping with the owner can top pure talent."_

Mako looked back at the slumped over body. "But then why are you dead? And why did you put a gun to my head?!"

Zula floated the sollom look from all the painting returning to her face. _"I had nothing left, the warm fuzzies from revenge doesn't last as long as you hope. I had nothing left to live for."_

"You did, you had your job."

 _"What job? I could never dance again."_

"You were a princess."

 _"I was alone! I had nothing!"_ Zula yelled.

"You had your family!" Mako yelled back.

 _"No! They left me alone! Even my brother left me alone! They didn't care anymore."_ Zula curled into a ball and began to weep.

Mako felt a tear run down his cheek. "Sure they did, they were just a call away. All you had to do was call."

Zula looked up. _"Like you could have?"_

Mako blinked in confusion and stepped back as the room changed from a dressing room to his office at the station. Papers were everywhere, pinned to the wall, stacked on cabinets and scattered on the floor. Slowly, Mako turned to where the vanity had been and found his desk a different body slumped onto the wooden surface.

Mako shook his head in disbelief. "No I couldn't, I would never." He looked at Zula. "This is some kind of trick! You're trying to trick me!"

Zula shook her head. _"No, I'm just showing you the truth. Look at the boxes and remember."_

Mako looked around at the multiple boxes half filled with items he had collected over the years and felt hallow. "That fight, where I was stabbed with a mirror shard, it became infected. I had to have surgery and I'd never be able to run again."

 _"A necessary ability for a cop."_ Zula added.

Mako nodded becoming more and more numb. "I had to retire early, everything I had worked for gone. I had nothing left. I was alone."

Zula wrapped her arms around him. _"We both were. We both were."_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Toza's Gym challenge: Nets level 1, emotion regret.

Characters: Mako, Lin, Iroh. (Mako/Iroh crack ship)  
Words: 1493

The All-Nighter

 **6:00 p.m.**

Mako groaned and wanted to kick himself. Why had he does this to himself? Why had he let the molehill become a mountain? Mako pouted and looked up at the giant piles of paperwork in front of him. Those flat white mocking slips of Vatuu toilet paper were practically laughing at him as they formed a mountain of work he could not possibly hope to climb.

"A whole months worth of paperwork...all undone, all due tomorrow." He leaned back in his chair. "I'm so screwed. Why did I not work on this stuff earlier?" Mako put his head against the desk hoping that the whole station would burst into flame.

 **6:30 p.m.**

A nocked on his desk brought him out of his self pity. Lin looked down at him.

"Waiting until the last minute again kid?"

Mako nodded. "Yup, except this month I made a whole lot more arrests than last month."

Lin nodded. "Yeah, well good luck kid, I'll see you at 6 a.m. tomorrow." She chuckled. "You know the boys down in homicide have a pool going to see if you actually finish this pile on time."

Mako growled. "Those guys have had it in for me ever since I picked the Special Victims Unit over homicide. " Mako looked up at her quizzically. "Did you bet anything?"

Lin smirked. "I might have thrown a few yuans in the mix in favor of you getting this all done." She looked at the piles and cringed. "Not much though."

Mako sighed and pulled a file towards him. "Well, I better get started this is going to be a long night."

Lin patted him on the shoulder. "It will be for you, I've got a hot date tonight." She started to walk away. "Have fun kid."

"Say, hi to Kaya for me!"

"I will!"

Shaking his head and smiling Mako went back to his work.

 **7:00 p.m.**

Mako put another file on the very small 'done' pile. Grumbling Mako grabbed the next one.

 **8:00 p.m.**

"You know it's kind of amazing how many assholes there are in this city." Mako closed another file, this one a rape case. "I mean really! Is 'fuck off creepo' not plane enough language for some drunk guys?"

 **8:30 p.m.**

"Oh I remember this one… even the victim was pain in the ass." Mako looked around and saw one of the other detectives looking at him strangely. "Not that I'm blaming the victim! No one deserves to have that happen with a pepper shaker!" Mako looked back down the papers. "But I can see the temptation." He muttered under his breath.

 **10:00 p.m.**

"That's it! There are only three decent men in this whole damned city! Bolin, my self, and Tenzin." He paused. "Well maybe General Iroh when he's in town…I wondering if he's in town? Now that's a man I'd drunk kiss without hesitation. Wait. If I did that, wouldn't he be in trouble because I was incapacitated?"

 **11:00 p.m.**

"No, he'd be ok just as long as I wasn't too drunk…. what's too drunk again? Where's the coffee? Damn we're out of coffee… But what if he was drunk too? Would I be the one in trouble then? Would we both be in trouble? I should know this."

 **11:45 p.m.**

"I got it! I just won't kiss him drunk! I'll do it sober! Prefect plan detective Mako!" Mako smiled which faded quickly. "But if we weren't drunk would he even want to kiss me? I'd kiss me. I'm probably the only one who'd kiss me."

 **12:15 a.m.**

"Oh this paperwork is never going to end…I'm doomed. Doomed! Doomed to die alone! Covered in paperwork!"

 **12:30 a.m.**

"You know next month I'm not going to procrastinate as much. I'm going get this stuff done in a timely manner! That why Iroh will notice me…what?! Ok Mako, you're starting to loose your mind. Get back to the paperwork. General Iroh barely knows you're alive, and finishing this paperwork is not going to help your love life in anyway shape or form." Mako nodded and cracked his knuckles. "Ok Detective time to get shit done!"

 **1:00 a.m.**

"I should call him."

 **1:30 a.m.**

"I should not call him…that's a horrible idea."

 **1:45 a.m.**

"He might not even be home! What's the worse that could happen?"

 **1:50 a.m.**

"I'm going to call him! Best idea ever!"

 **1: 55 a.m.**

~Ring, Ring~ SLAM!

"Worst idea ever! What if I woke him up?"

 **2:00 a.m.**

"Well, he's awake now, I should apologize." Having had all his inhibitions fall asleep an hour ago, Mako called Iroh's private number and waited for a sleepy man to answer on the other end of the line. He didn't wait for him to say anything but a muffled hello before Mako's caffeine fueled and sleep deprived mouth kicked into action.

"Hi General Iroh, I'm me, uh Detective Mako, Korra's ex-boyfriend and one of the guys that saved the world a few times. We've met before a few times. Uh so I'm calling because I'm just in love with you and it's not because you're the hottest thing since sliced bread but you're actually a great guy. I had a case involving a guy who worked under you and he had only praise to give. So yeah, uh you're the bees' knees and now a hooker is giving me a weird look…." Mako cringed and just froze the phone still against his ear.

After a moment a half-awake Iroh spoke. "Uh…Mako why are you telling me this at 2:07 a.m.? And further more can you explain the hooker please?"

"She was arrested by Mo for prostitution…she'll be out by morning."

"Oh…ok. Do you have anything else on your mind?"

"We're out of coffee here and I'd kill for a doughnut…. I guess I'm filled with self loathing for putting all my paperwork off until now."

"So you're at the police station?"

"Yeah, surrounded by paperwork…so many reports to finish. So many."

"Ok… I think I've gathered everything of importance. Need anything else?"

"Nope. That's it. Sleep well."

"Uh, ok. Good luck."

Mako heard the click on the other end of the phone and replaced the receiver. He paused for a moment just looking at the piles of papers with unfocused eyes before reality slapped.

"Oh Spirits what have I done?"

 **3:00 a.m.**

Mako was gently shaken awake from his unplanned nap. Groggily, he woke up and looked at who had shaken him. His eyes were still clearing when he smelled the rich aroma of coffee. Mako blinked first focusing on the large paper coffee cup then the person holding it. General Iroh stood with a face of half pity, half amusement and holding a white box.

"I think you are in desperate need of this Detective." Iroh handed him the coffee, which Mako took a grateful gulp of. "I also brought doughnuts."

"I love you." Mako said between sips of coffee. "I mean it."

Iroh chuckled. "I think you need higher standards detective, if bringing you coffee is grounds for loving someone." He glanced at the piled of paperwork. "But I think you've got some more pressing matters than dating standards. Would you like some company to keep you awake?"

Mako nodded and sighed. "Yes, but I don't want to inconvenience you more than I have."

Iroh shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm a notorious insomniac this will give me someone to talk to."

 **8:00 a.m.**

"Done!" Mako triumphantly slammed the pile of paperwork on the desk in front of Lin. "I finished it all!"

Lin nodded. "I can see that…. are you ok?"

Mako giggled. "No, I'm going home now and getting some much needed sleep."

Lin nodded. "Good, and while your on your way out can you take General Iroh with you? He's kind of cluttering up your work space."

Mako nodded dreamily. "Yeah, I'll take him home with me."

Lin opened her mouth then closed it shaking her head. Walking out in the euphoria of sleep deprivation Mako tripped and practically collapsed in Iroh's arms.

 **1:00 p.m.**

Mako woke up in a bed he didn't recognize with a note taped to his forehead. Quickly, he peeled it off and read the note.

 _Dinner? ~Iroh II_

"Huh?" Mako looked around trying to figure out what had happened and where he was. Shaking his head, Mako got out of the bed and wandered out into the hall. He looked at the piece of paper in his head. "What happened? Did I finish my paperwork? Is this all a dream? Did I miss the dead line?"

Trying desperately not to freak out, Mako sat down and took a few deep breaths. Slowly the events of the night before came to him and the panic picked up. "Spirits! What did I do? Why did I do that? I'm an idiot!" He yelled before looking back at the paper in his hand. "A lucky, lucky idiot."


	3. The moon

A/N: Ok warnings: blood and death. Characters: Mako, Desna, Eska, and Yue. Ember Island Eel hounds, waterbender  
Round two.  
Prompts: Blue, North pole, can't use the word "and"

Word count: 1557

The Moon

Prologue

 _I am the moon, I wax, I wane, I give you light, I leave you in darkness. You have your side of the story but I have mine too. As a spirit I was the true neutral until I died, murdered by a short sighted solider. A princess gave her life to bring me back. We fused into one being human with spirit, one being. Such workings have a price; the world will soon pay that bill._

I~I~I

Mako looked down at the bloody remains then back at the two leaders of the Northern Water Tribe then back again at the pitiful remains.

"Yup, that's a body. What do you want me to do about it?"

"Find the killer of course." Eska said flatly. "We didn't invite you up here just to look at the northern lights detective."

"Yeah 'invited'." Mako bit his bottom lip. He would not describe his journey to the North Pole as being 'invited' more like kidnapping with a touch of physical abuse. "So why me? Don't you have a police force here that could take care of this?"

"They've tried. They've failed. You're our next best option. If you can't find the killer then we'll have to involve my cousin." Eska frowned more. "I don't want to do that."

Mako blinked. "Uh why?"

"Why don't I want my cousin here or why do I think she is the next option if you fail?"

"Both actually." Mako admitted.

"The reason we might have to ask her is because we think there might be a spirit involved." Desna explained glancing over at his sister. "We also know our people, my cousin is not exactly welcome here so if you can solve these murders without her that would be best."

Mako sighed, he wanted to ask why Korra was not welcome here but she had killed their former chief so...It was understandable. "So why do you think it's a spirit?"

"These killings only happen on the new moon." Desna pointed to the body. "The victim is always killed the same way, exploded from the inside out using blood bending. It's been happening every new moon for the past six months."

"Ew." Mako grimaced looking back at the body.

"So we are either dealing with a powerful bender who does not need the moon to bend the very blood in their bodies, or it is a spirit. Either way it's your job to figure out what's going on."

Mako nodded. "Uh, I know this is an odd question but have you asked the moon what's going on? I've heard she's quite a friendly spirit."

"We have a temple for her. She might talk to you." Eska started to walk away gesturing for him to follow. "Give you some direction."

I~II~I

"Come back on the full moon your dirty fire bender!" Yelled a very irate looking moon priestess in a blue dress. "You're not welcome here now!"

She slammed the oaken doors so hard some snow fell off the roof. Dusting off the snow, Mako picked himself up with a groan. "Ow, ok not talking to her right now. Let's see what else I can find without talking to the spirit?"

I~III~I

"Ok." Mako looked at his coffee. "I've been here what? Ten days tops? So why have I found absolutely nothing to explain a non-spirit related reason for all the murders?" He rechecked his notes. "The victims didn't know each other. They weren't from the parts of town. They weren't found in the same parts of town. They aren't the same gender, race, age, or even sexual orientation. So why are they all dead?!" Mako slammed his head on the table silently wishing he could just go home.

Sitting back up Mako looked out his window trying his best to think of his next move. He spotted the Moon Temple. "Maybe the lady will be nicer this time?"

Pulling on his jacket, Mako made his way to the temple getting to the door just as the sun was setting. He knocked on the door. The same priestess as before opened the door showing off a new dress, which was blue with yellow embroidery.

"I thought I said come back when the moon is full." She said frostily before sighing. "But what the hell, it's half full so you might as well come in. After all it's getting dark"

She opened the door wide letting Mako step into the warm inviting space. The woman picked up lit candelabra before walking away without saying anything. A few feet away she turned around to gesture for him to follow. Mako followed her silently as they made their way deeper into the temple until they reached a large thrown room with a pond in the middle. The woman practically laid herself across the large thrown before setting the candelabra on a nearby table.

"So what do you want of me Fire Bender?"

"You're the moon?" Mako asked dumbly.  
"Technically, I'm Yue, spirit of the moon but I guess just moon works too. Why are you here?"

"Uh to talk to you. There've been murders happening in the city. I was hoping you would know who might be committing them."

"I'm the moon not a detective!" Yue snapped before shaking her head. "I'm sorry I don't know what's gotten into me but I don't understand how I can help you. I'm just the moon spirit."

Mako sighed. "Well it's because you are the moon spirit. These murders are being committed by blood bending something traditionally a water bender needed the power of the moon to do. So I thought it was possible that you might know of any powerful benders or spirits that could do such a think when the moon is a new moon."

Yue's face darkened. "I don't know of any such bender or spirit. I can ask around. Come back on the full moon. I will tell you what I have learned then."

Mako nodded solemnly. "Ok, any ideas what I should do until then?"

Yue shrugged. "You got a sweet heart?"

Mako blushed. "Maybe."

"Write to them, tell them about the Northern lights, invite them to join you here, do something other than focus on this case. Life is too short to spend it just focused on one thing. I should know."

I~IIII~I

It felt like Mako had posted a hundred letters by the time the full moon hung in the sky. Feeling like he could possibly soon go home, Mako practically bounded up the stairs to the Moon temple. Yue opened the door half way through Mako's second knock. Her smiled practically glowed like her full yellow dress.

"You seem quite excited Mako." Yue said sweetly. "Do you have exciting news? Have you spoken to your sweet heart?"

Mako shrugged. "A little but I'm more excited to find out what you have learned. Did you learn anything?"

Yue looked down. "I have learned who is not responsible for the killings. It is not any spirit I know." Taking his arm Yue started to walk through the temple. "I also doubt any human could use blood bending in such away on the new moon."

Mako frowned. "So I'm back to square one?"

"Not quite, we know who it is not so who ever it is must be a spirit I am not acquainted with. I have complied a list of spirits I do not know in the library. You can use the list to find out who is killing these poor people." She gave him a wide smile. "Let me show you! Oh! While we walk please tell me of your sweet heart! I love to about stuff like that."

Mako gulped but started to tell her all about his sweet heart waiting for him back in Republic City.

I~V~I

Mako wanted to cry, the new moon hung invisible in the dark sky while he was no closer to finding out who the killer was. He looked over another spirit registry looking for any spirit that could possibly be the culprit. So far he had found no one. Mako was starting to doubt that he would ever find them then he heard a footstep behind him. He felt something then nothing. He was someone then in a blink of an eye another victim.

I~IV~I

Yue pulled off another blood stained blue dress in favor of a clean one. The darkness of her own personality was reflected in the darkness of the moon. She sneered at body smeared across the ground. She hated people with sweet hearts. She hated fire benders. She hated Mako for being both. She was the moon. She changed with the moon becoming either bright or dark, her human soul had corrupted the pure spirit to the point of no return.

Yue smiled tilting her head. "I am the moon, I wax, I wane, I give you light, I leave you in darkness. You have your side of the story but I have mine too. As a spirit I was the true neutral until I died, murdered by a short sighted solider. A princess gave her life to bring me back. We fused into one being human with spirit, one being. Such workings have a price; the world will soon pay that bill in full. I wonder who they will send to me next?"

A/N: I seem to be on a Mako kick for some reason…oh well. Killed him off again. I hope this story entertained you sorry if it seems a bit rushed. Thanks for reading and I'll see you later! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Modern AU. Characters: Iroh, Izumi, and others.

Ember Island Eel Hounds Water bender, round 3  
Prompts:  
Chocolate,  
Lost in a grocery store

Trunk

Words: 1105

Don't judge me

"Oh spirits, it's missing." General Iroh leaned against the apple display trying to steady himself before pulling out his phone and dialed. "Hello mother? I need your help…. No, I don't need that. No one has to die mother!"

Iroh looked around and smiled at a startled woman pushing her cart. He wave and she quickly rushed into the baking section.

Iroh sighed. "No, look I just need your help. I've got a problem…remember when I was sixteen and dad-yup, that. Well it's like that but change yacht to grocery store and five cups of coffee to seven shots of vodka…well that too there's only one missing." Iroh took a few steps and immediately felt the world spin. He grabbed onto another fruit display knocking several oranges to the floor. "No! I can't do that! If I do that they'll know I'm drunk! I can't get banned from another grocery store! This is the last one in walking distance to my place. Well that's not very nice to say to you child. Well I had a date tonight and…why I am I what if I have a date? Oh drunk…heh funny story I forgot about my date and was hanging out with the guys and forgot about the date plans… I am not a drunk mother. I do not have a problem! No I can't cancel!" Iroh gulped. "It's our one year anniversary."

Iroh grabbed his cart and started to push it through the produce section trying to subtlety look for it. "Like I said I forgot. Now how did dad fix this? He used a what?" Iroh took his phone from his ear and looked at it before putting it back to his ear and kept walking. "Uh what? Mother I don't have a trunk full of prawns at my disposal. Ow! No, that wasn't you I just kicked something." Iroh looked down and back up. "I just kicked a watermelon, do you think that will work as well as a trunk full or prawns? Why are you laughing?"

Iroh frowned. "It's not nice to laugh at your child when they are hurting. Mother please, that really hurt! Ok fine it's a little funny…no I don't think it's like them 'turning on their own kind.' That's mean mom. That is the exact opposite of supportive. No I know you love me….it's a funny joke ma' but my foot still hurts. So let's recap shall we? I'm drunk, in a grocery store, you know what is loose, and I now have to buy a watermelon with a boot shaped hole in it….and I'll be late for my date."

"Well it's not in the produce section…I rather doubt it's 'chill'n with pineapples' as you put it." Shaking his head, Iroh put the damaged melon in his cart and wheeled it down the nearest aisle, which had bread and other baked goods. "I'm in the bread aisle now…do you think they like bread? I like bread, I think I'm out of bread…I should pick up a loaf…. sorry I don't mean to get distracted but it's bread. It's on my list. What else is on my list?" Iroh pulled a pice of paper out of his back pocket. "Well, the normal stuff, Milk, eggs, chocolate, wine, chocolate, soda, ice cream, chocolate… yeah I know but Bae loves chocolate. I have no idea what that means either but I've heard it's a term of endearment." Iroh turned the corner down the next aisle scanning the ground and desperately trying to keep track of reality. "No, I don't have the specific type of chocolate written down…. just chocolate. What do you mean there's different types? What the hell is baking chocolate? Well I'm not baking anything…. I am an adult mom…mom? Mother?" Iroh pulled the phone from his ear to make sure he had not been disconnected. "Did she just put me on hold? I guess she did…Well she wasn't exactly being helpful."

Iroh clicked off the phone and scanned his surroundings. He was standing half way down the candy aisle. "Welp might as well get the chocolate." He looked at the selection. "Oh that's a lot of different types what would be the best?" He gazed at the chocolate for a minute before shrugging and grabbing a random selection. At the corner of his eye he saw something move. "Ah there you are!" Iroh dove to the ground and looked under the shelve before screaming at a small fire ferrite that was eating a forgotten noodle packet. The creature charged, climbing onto his shoulder and into the basket where it started eating the maimed watermelon. Iroh looked up trying not to laugh before hearing his phone ring.

"Hello? Oh hey sis…mom texted you? Yeah…that's happening. No I haven't found the little bugger yet…I did find a fire ferret…no a different one, not that one. Fey did you call to help or to mock? A bit of both, of course." Iroh groaned. "No, it's not a vegetable! Vegetables don't have legs! Oh you said valuable, uh it's a bit valuable. Well I mean it's really big so pretty valuable, but it's not the money that's my concern. Fey it's loose in a grocery store! That's the pertinent part of this! I'm not yelling. Ok I'm yelling but look your not helping and the fire ferret is mocking me while eating a watermelon." He shot a dark look at the creature who just keep chewing. "Look, I've got to let you go now ok sis? Love you too talk later."

Dusting himself off Iroh got back to his feet and started to push the cart, ferret and all, down the next aisle. Half way down, Iroh stopped dead in his tracks, there it was mocking him by the pyramid of canned goods.

.o.

Mako slammed his car door closed unsure of what he would in the seemingly normal Piggly Wiggly. Sliding his phone into his back pocket, Mako walked into the store in search of his boyfriend at his mother's request. It wasn't hard to find Iroh, Mako just followed the sound of a crash and rolling cans. Reaching the scene of carnage Mako could not help but tilt his head in confusion. There in front of him was a cart with a fire ferret in a broken melon and pile of chocolate bars next to the remnants of a can food pyramid where General Iroh lay holding a large lobster in one hand. Iroh looked over at him and grinned.

"Fount it."

Mako pinched his nose and tried not to laugh. "Yup, you did. Well done."


	5. Welcome to the Show

Team: Eel Hounds  
Position: Waterbender

Tasks: Circus AU, posing

Words: 900

Welcome to the Show

Korra leaned back and tried to relax but the thrill of show time kept creeping up in her stomach. She shook her head. How sad of an avatar was she that a simple show filled her with so much excitement? Korra pushed her hair back and looked over at other circus performers getting ready. Over the past few months of traveling they had become almost like family to her but everyone knew this would be her last performance. She had reached her goal, through the countless small islands, Fire Nation, and southern ports to the glittering Republic City.

She took a deep breath and convinced herself that this was a good idea for the millionth time. This was going to work, Tenzin was going to teach her how to air bend. He had to after all this time right? She gulped imagining Tenzin sending her away and her having to swim back to the South Pole in the icy water. It was a bit of an exaggeration, yes, but she was still worried.

Korra stood up and looked at herself in the mirror. She posed in her silver and blue sequined dressed that made her look like an ice princess. She flexed and sighed. She looked like a fool not a proud avatar. A shiny fool but still a fool.

"Well, if he says no I guess I could just come back here. Be there first Circus Avatar…would I be the first one?" She paused and thought a moment. "I mean the avatar's been around a really long time, this might not be that unique. I mean it could have been a normal thing for avatars. Would explain all the travel they did."

Shin Jung, the ringmaster, chuckled and walked over to her. "That would be an interesting thing to know but if not the first then the best. You ready for your final performance?"

Korra nodded putting on her hear piece and patted Naga's head. "Yup! I'm ready to thrill all those people!"

.o.

Tahno yawned as he watched the performers out on field warming up the crowed before the match. He watched a performance entitled _"The princess and polar bear dog"_ at an interest level of slightly above "bored to tears". Bolin tapped him on the shoulder.

"Aren't you impressed? That's a real live polar bear dog! Aren't those things insanely dangerous?" His teammate, and default best friend, pointed out. "I mean you told me they can't be tamed so that's got to impress even you."

"That's not a real polar bear dog." Tahno said almost falling asleep. "It's just a man in a costume, or something. Sorry Bolin, but I'm not impressed with a good looking costume." He raised an eyebrow. "But she's pretty."

"Yeah." Bolin smiled and looked at the girl now balancing on top of the polar bear dog. "She is, do you think she'd want to meet us after the match? You know if we win?"

"We're the Fire Ferrets of course we're going to win and of course she's going to want to meet us." Tahno pointed out. "Even if Ying doesn't show up."

Bolin nodded and looked around. "Yeah where is that guy? Do I need to call my mom and have her put out an APB for him?"

Tahno smirked. "While I'm not above asking the chief of police to find our missing teammate, I doubt even she would find him in time. I'll call the coach and ask him to send a reserve fire bender our way. Even if they suck we can still win."

.o.

Korra looked around her and cursed under her breath. She was lost…again. "I had just gone to change and now I'm… Where am I?" She looked at a sign that told her absolutely nothing of worth. "This is just as bad as when I got lost in the royal palace… Well that wasn't too bad. I got to meet prince charming after all."

She blushed thinking about the night Fire Nation Prince who had not only helped her find her way but gave her hot chocolate when they had a slight detour into the kitchen. Distracted by the memory she ran right into an open door. The shock of it knocked her to the ground.

"Oh sorry!" A green-eyed boy about her age looked down at her. "I was just looking for someone. He eyed her red shirt and loose tan pants. "Are you a fire bender?"

Korra nodded as she stood up. "Yup, It's one of my many talents. Getting lost is another one."

"Great! Glad I found you then!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her in to a locker room where another young man was lacing a pair of boots up. "I found the reserve fire bender!"

Korra blinked and was about to ask what he was talking but the other boy interrupted her.

"Well at least it's a body so we won't get disqualified and have to forfeit." He held out his hand towards her. "Tahno water bender and captain of the White Falls Wolf Bats. You've already met Bolin he's our earth bender. You are?"

"Korra, fire bender apparently." She shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you Korra. Ever been in a professional pro-bending match?"

Korra shook her head. "No, but I've watched a lot of matches in my travels I think I know what I'm doing… maybe. Could you explain the fire bender position really quickly for me? I promise I'm a fast learner."

Tahno cringed. "Well that will have to do. Get suited up, the spare uniforms in that locker. Welcome to the show."

"Ah thanks." Korra looked around. "Well I guess I'm trading one circus for another." She mumbled under her breath as she grabbed the spare uniform.

A/N: So I hoped you all liked this. It's a bit different but the task was to write out a character and see what happens. For this story I wrote out Mako and kind of went wild with the ideas of how the universe would change like the idea that Bolin would be Lin's adoptive son or that he and Tahno would be on the same team. Of course the idea is that the character's themselves don't know something is missing so I wanted to write it as if for them it's never been different, which is why the changes aren't pointed out by the characters. If I were to write more I'd further explore this idea but I'm a bit strapped for time (work's been crazy) so this is what I have for now. I hope you enjoyed.


	6. Chapter 6

How the Linch stole Christmas Part 4

Promps: none, waterbender

Words: 996

Lin groaned and shook her head. "How am I going to give this back and not come across like a bad guy?" She sighed and shook her head. "I'm looking at this all the wrong way. I did something wrong I need to own up to it."

.o.

Korra paced around the room wondering what the hell she had agreed to. She was a singer and had learned how to sing sans instrumentation but the others? Well they could keep a beat and stay in tune with everything but their mouths. She loved Christmas and wanted the people of…the people of? She looked around. Where was she again? She couldn't remember. At first she thought they were preforming in Republic City, but the next time she looked she was in the South Pole, and then she thought she was in the North for some reason. Leaning against the wall she checked out the window just to make sure the Fire Nation was not on the other side of the shutters. It was not, the same cold icy desert stood just outside the glass.

"Are you ok babe?" Asami asked walking in and taking her hand.

Korra nodded. "Yeah, just a little nervous. I mean I do not want to ruin all those people's Christmas."

Asami rolled her eye and kissed Korra's cheek. "You are not going to ruin anyone's Christmas. The holiday is more than that. It's about giving and we're going to give them all we have even if it is not that much."

Korra smiled and kissed Asami properly. "Thanks, I needed to hear that."

Asami looked like she was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door.

.o.

Lin was chewing on her cheek trying to figure out the best thing to when Korra opened the back door.

"Chief? What are you doing back here? And you have our instruments! That's wonderful!" Korra rushed passed her and picked up her guitar. "Oh how I missed you my true love." She looked over at Asami and blushed. "That's what I named her…really."

Asami smirked and crossed her arms. "Really? Last week I though her name was beauty."

"She changes names frequently." Korra looked over at Lin who had just coughed. "Oh I'm sorry! Thank you so much for finding our stuff. Any idea what happened?"

Lin looked down at her feet. "I have more than an idea. It's a long story, but the short version is I was a bad person who stole your stuff but I had a change of heart and saw the error of my ways and brought it back."

Korra looked over at Asami then back at Lin. "Oh well, glad you brought it all back. Um why don't you come in and tell us the longer version. I think I need a drink however. Can I get anyone else a drink?"

"Just some water." Lin answered before helping put all the instruments back and sat down on the sofa.

After a few moments they were all sitting around drinking. Lin took a big gulp of water and began to tell her whole tail not skipping a detail. The two girls listened closely and at the end Korra smiled. Lin tilted her head in confusion.

"Why are you smiling?"

"You just gave me a great idea for a song." Korra's smile grew. "Look, I have a deal for you. Asami and I won't tell anyone what happened here but you've got to promise that you'll listen to the last song we sing tonight."

Lin sighed and gave a small smile. "I think I can do that."

Korra held out her hand. "Shake on it?"

Lin shook Korra's hand cementing the agreement.

Hours later Lin sat in a reserved seat waiting for the concert to end. She may have found her Christmas spirit but she still did not like Korra's music. The band finished their song and Korra took the mike to address the crowd.

"Hey everyone! Hope you're having a good time and Merry Christmas! And this is going to our last song and it's a brand new song! Think of it as a present to all of you and especially to someone special in the crowd! So please I hope you all enjoy!"

Korra gave a signal and the band started to play a new tune that seemed to differ from their usual tune.

"You're a mean one, Mr. Lynch

You really are a heel,

You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Lynch,

You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

You're a monster, Mr. Lynch,

Your heart's an empty hole,

Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Lynch,

I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

You're a foul one, Mr. Lynch,

You have termites in your smile,

You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Lynch,

Given a choice between the two of you'd take the seasick crocodile!

You're a rotter, Mr. Lynch

You're the king of sinful sots,

Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Lynch,

You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!

You nauseate me, Mr. Lynch,

With a nauseous super "naus"!,

You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Lynch,

Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful

assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!

You're a foul one, Mr. Lynch,

You're a nasty wasty skunk,

Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Lynch,

The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote,

"Stink, stank, stunk"!"

Lin shook her head and smiled. Yeah it was a bit of a joke at her expense but they were giving her the best gift she could have asked for; a song she did not totally loathe.

A/N: hope you all enjoyed and in finished up this four-part story. Please search out the other parts and have a great new year!


	7. Azula's hard lesson pt 3

• A/N: I used the prompts: take-out menu from a restaurant, balloons, invitations, a stranger's underwear, Stranger's autograph.

Sorry it's rushed I had an hour to get it done. Team: Eelhounds. Position: Waterbender. (see above for prompts.)

Words: 1185

Azula's hard lesson pt. 3

Azula looked around her room, through her closet, and in all of her drawers to find…nothing. Not even a single solitary sock, it was all gone save a mocking note about her barrettes and flowers. Azula's anger reduced the paper to ash, she was going to do horrible things to whomever had dared to this too her, but first she was going to have to get some if not all of her clothes back.

Azula looked around her room, there had to be something she could use to preserve a semblance of modesty, she was a princess after all, there were standards of behavior. Glancing around she spotted a take-out menu and a pillowcase she had never been that fond of. Ripping out the seems of the pillowcase, Azula wrapped it around herself like a skirt and grabbed the take-out menu and held it over her chest. The outfit was horrible but she did not really care.

It was easy to creep out of the palace but that's when the easy stopped as she spotted what was probably where her barrettes where. Someone had placed red and blue balloons in a garden patch just across the street. Cracking her knuckles Azula ran across the road and began pulling on the balloon strings and finding them just tied to rocks.

Azula's eye twitched. "Well if they're not tied to the bottom of the strings where are they?" She looked up at the floating orbs. "Would someone really put them in the balloon?"

She popped the first one with her nails, nothing. She popped the second, still nothing. She popped the third, nothing with the sound of crying children. She looked up to see just on the other side of the bushes a family of aristocrats and many children watching her. Some were crying while others just stood there in shock. A small girl about her age was fidgeting and soon produced a pink silk bra that was probably a cup too small, at least in her opinion.

"Here princess, I think you could use this." She held it out to Azula who snatched it and begrudgingly thanked the girl.

"I am going to murder the sicko who thought of this stupid prank." She muttered looking around to figure out where and noticing that the bra was actually a little big on her.

She then spotted an invitation on the ground. It was to a poetry reading by a local celebrity in Fire Flower Gardens next to the pond, which was known for its water lilies.

"Ha! I know where you put my clothes now!" Azula rejoiced walking past a flower vender who was desperately trying not to look at the princess in her current state of undress.

The Fire Flower Gardens had always been something her mother and brother enjoyed while she and her father just tolerated the place. Even now as she walked past the elite of the fire nation staring at her she pondered whether or not it would be in bad taste to turn the whole park into something more interesting like a shooting range or a giant lake to hold ship battles in. In any case the place definitely needed to change if she was going to enjoy it.

She turned around the corner and found the party of people listening to a man drone on and on about a butterfly he had maybe dreamed about or had dreamed about him. Azula really did not care as she set about looking all around the area for any of her missing clothes. While she did find a broken cup, a ring, an old toy, three gold pieces, and a sock that wasn't hers, Azula failed to find any of her clothes.

"Whoa, I didn't know the princess was such a deep performing artist."

Azula made a face and turned to see the poet had stopped speaking and was now standing behind her. "I'm not-"

The poet cut her off. "I mean most people here were just hearing me talk but you, you really listened, I could tell by the way you just kept searching while I spoke about searching you know?"

Azula's eye twitched. "I don't know."

"Yeah, I know, none of us know." He ran a hand through his hair and Azula wondered if the man had smoked something before reading poetry. "Hey I like you non conformance to fashion and conventional clothing, it's really, really profound." He paused. "I mean it's so profound I'm not even sure exactly what you're trying to say. It's like this thing I saw earlier, someone made pants into flags in trees. I mean I know it's art but the meaning escaped me and that made it even more beautiful."

Azula tilted her head. "Where did you see these flag pants?"

The poet pointed across the pound at a bunch of tress with her pants swaying in the breeze like standards right before a battle. "Right over there man, it's just so majestic and all."

Azula frowned. "Yeah, very majestic. Now I've got to go." She turned to make her way to the pants having given up on ever finding her bras again."

"Hey wait princess can I add to your art?"

Azula turned and tilted her head. "What?"

"Can I add to your art?" He pulled off a white boot and produced a pen out of nowhere and scrolled a name across the top. He held it out to her. "Here! This will further the look, a woman in men's boots shows the fluidity of gender barriers and the transcendence of spirit."

At this point Azula knew the poet had indeed been smoking something and at this moment she wanted in on it. She took the boot with the autograph. "Can I have the other boot too?"

The poet nodded. "Yeah sure, it really completes the look."

Azula slipped on the two boots, they were a little wide but fit surprisingly well. She looked at her reflection and started to feel her blood boil, this was not how a princess was to dress. She looked at her pants fluttering care free in the gentile breeze of dusk and wanted to kick herself because the poet was starting to rub on. She grinded her teeth and wondered just how the hell someone got her pants up so high, then it hit her. There was only one person who was crazy enough to steal from her and could get shit up that high.

"You look amazing." The poet commented before she pushed him in to the pound.

"Yeah, I know." She muttered darkly as she walked back to the palace. "And I know what I'm going to do next and it's not going to be playing this game."

.o.

Ty lee looked at the stern palace guard and giggled nervously, he had a singed ear and smoking shoulder pad. "Princess Azula wants to see you immediately."


	8. Missing Mew

Write about someone missing their absent loved one.  
Prompts: Aang (Character)-2pt., Every one is an Animal (AU)-3pt. Element-Fire

Words ~940

A/N: I have no really notes just…I think Aang would be a squirrel.

Missing Mew

Sokka melancholically looked at his reflection before rising so he could curl up under a nearby apple tree. The arctic wolf whined a little trying to take another nap and forget how much he missed the pretty kitty from the fire nation.

A few minutes later he was rudely woken up by Aang sitting on his head. The tiny albino flying squirrel held out a piece of jerky.

"Hey I brought you some food. Make you feel better!" Aang chattered.

Sokka sighed. "Thanks, but I'm not really hungry."

Aang sighed and scurried on to his snout. "Look, can you try to be a little bit upbeat? We're here to get help from King Bumi and he likes being around happy people."

"But I'm not happy, and you're best friends with that crazy baboon why do I need to impress him?"

Aang set the piece of jurky on Sokka's snout. "Well we don't but you being so blue is kind of dragging everyone else down. Even Appa and Momo seem to know something's up."

He pointed to two men talking at the other end of the garden. One was a large dignified looking man, while the other was of slender build and wild eyes and light brown hair.

Sokka rolled his eyes and stood up taking the small squirrel with him. "Can't you just let me wallow in peace?"

Aang shook his head. "Nope, good friends don't let friends wallow. Look, I know you miss Zuko but it hasn't been that long."

"It's been two months! That's pretty long."

"I was trapped in ice for a hundred years with Appa, two months is nothing."

Sokka let out a low growl of frustration. "You where asleep for all that and besides a month ago when Katara had to go help Toph with something you were a mopey mess. She was only gone for three days!"

Aang crawled up and sat on Sokka's head. "Well I missed her."

"Well I miss Zuko so let me mope in peace."

Aang petted one of Sokka's ears. "Sadly I can't. Bumi's invited all of us to dinner and that means you, in a good mood, talking up the importance of his help."

Sokka slumped almost throwing Aang off his head. "I don't want to."

Aang climbed back on his head grabbing on to his fur. "Oh come on there will be meat! You like meat!"

Sokka snorted. "Fine I'll show up, but only because I'm a little hungry."

Aang clapped his little hands and cheered. "Good, now come on!"

The flying squirrel jumped from Sokka's head and flew into the palace. Shacking his head, Sokka followed the squirrel padding into the great stone structure.

.o.

Katara sat next to a large open flame waiting Sokka and Aang to appear. Across the table King Bumi the baboon extended a steel rod with a tomato over the fire. He glanced over at Katara.

"So Sokka seems a little bit somber. What's wrong with him? Is he missing the moon?" Bumi took the tomato out of the fire and ate the charged fruit. "He seems like he needs a good howl at the moon if you know what I mean."

Katara groaned and rolled her eyes. "Well he's going to have to wait until we get back to the Fire Nation to do any 'howling'."

"Oh?" Bumi tilted his head. "He's got a steamy sweetheart over there?"

"Yeah." Katara looked into the flames thinking of Zuko and Sokka hanging out in the royal gardens. "He misses him a lot. I wish there was a way to cheer him up."

Bumi was quiet for a moment. "Just leave it to me. I'll cheer him right up."

Katara raised an eyebrow but did not say anything. She expected Bumi to do something strange during dinner but it was strangely quiet. Bumi stuck his topic of discussion to the charity they needed and mundane topics like the weather and what humans might think about.

.o.

The moon shown down on the roof of the palace and Sokka bathed in the moonlight just quietly contemplating all the conversations he was missing with Zuko. The night was so quiet he jumped when someone sat down next to him.

"It's only me kiddo." Bumi chuckled. "Here to help cheer you up. Your sister told me you're a little lonely. Missing your boyfriend perhaps?"

Sokka blushed and looked away. "Maybe. Not sure how you can help me with that."

"Well I've lived a long time and I've had my fair share of sweethearts."

Sokka looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I wasn't always an old wrinkly monkey! I was once a young wrinkly monkey." Bumi shook his head. "Well either way, I had one boyfriend who would go on these long excursions to other kingdoms for diplomatic missions and we would both miss each other terribly. I used to mope around all the time until I figured out something that made the days go faster."

Sokka perked up raising an ear. "Oh? What did you do?"

Bumi smiled. "Well I wrote him everyday and while I wrote I let myself feel all the loneliness and then I burned the letter."

"What? You set it on fire?!"

"Yup, and with the burning letter I burned my sadness for the day and then I went on with my day a little bit less lonely." Bumi was quiet for a moment. "And I read a lot of smut and that helped too."

For a moment Sokka was speechless and looked out into the stars. "So you have any of that smut lying around?"


	9. Kittens

A/N:  
Prompts: No dialoged, baby powder (smell), couple finds out they're going to have a baby. Fire

Words:969

Ember Island Eel Hounds, Fire Bender

Kittens

Izumi could smell the sea breeze and hear crashing of the waves as she walked down the hall away from her bedroom. All the giant windows in the hall had been opened wide and were letting the whole seaside castle air out. Izumi took a deep breath and felt happy and relaxed. She needed this after the stress of late, her throat still hurt after her recent shouting match with Duke Yuzil. Izumi touched the cream colored wall it looked so calm almost like an egg. Her mind differed to other things and the message she needed to deliver.

From somewhere far off Izumi heard the clanging of pots and pans. Izumi chuckled and walked towards the noise. As the clanging continued Izumi guessed her husband was attempting to cook her an early morning breakfast. Karrem was always so sweet about things like that even if he was a little bit on the noisy side, but that could not really be helped so Izumi did not worry about it.

Following the noise, Izumi located the kitten on a lower floor. A water tribe man with bright blue eyes slammed a frying pan over a large flame before throwing two very thick stakes on to the hot metal. Izumi slipped on to a nearby stool and watched as the love of her life struggled to tame the flames and not burn the eggs. A few minutes passed by before he looked up and saw her sitting there. His face went from slight shock to a broad smile. He signed a short message about breakfast being ready soon and then got back to work trying cook. With a flick of his wrist he sliced a watermelon into wedges with his bending and handing one to Izumi.

She took a big bit and gave Karrem the thumbs up to indicate she liked it. Karrem's smiled broadened even more before he was distracted by on of his pans being engulfed in flame. Izumi shook her head and kept eating her melon.

As she bit into the fruit she thought about the future and how he would be as a father. She could practically smell the baby powder he would inevitably get covered in…somehow. Izumi snorted, if they were lucky that would be the worst thing he'd get covered in, she remembered the stories her father would tell her about her exploits as a little one. Suddenly Izumi felt her blood run a little cold as the knowledge of what she did not know came to her. She had no idea how to sign pregnant or baby. Until now she had never needed those words and if she had she could always ask Karrem's mother Yuki or consult her library but here she lacked both of those.

Izumi pouted, how was she going to tell him now?

Karrem must have seen her pouting and tapped her on the shoulder. He tilted his head then asked if something was wrong. Izumi shook her head and shooed him back to the other side of the counter back to the flaming stove. Izumi tapped her chin. She thought about how she would try to talk to Karrem before Yuki finally taught her more than just rudimentary signs.

Izumi surveyed the counter then her eyes spotted exactly the inspiration she needed. Now all she had to do was get the right items.

.o.

Karrem proudly set the plate piled high with food in the last place he had seen Izumi. He frowned looking at the empty seat then looked around to kitchen until he spotted Izumi waving at him, she was holding a watermelon under one arm and dirt up to her knees. Karrem tilted his head to one side. Had she really just gone to the garden to get another watermelon? They had a perfectly good one cut up here.

Izumi moved her arms quickly and awkwardly then held the watermelon next to her stomach while smiling. Karrem tilted his head the other way. He had no idea she loved watermelon so much. She had never mentioned even a passing craving for watermelon before.

Karrem pointed to the freshly cut melon and asked if she wanted him to cut up more. Izumi shook her head and repeated the same sloppy hand motions before sticking the watermelon under her shirt and then cradling in her arms and rocking gently back and forth.

Karrem blinked, why was she babying the watermelon now. Izumi's shoulders dropped and she set the melon down and grabbed an egg pointed to it then to her belly. Karrem picked up the plate of eggs and stake and pointed to the eggs. Was she not happy with how he cooked them? He thought she loved poached eggs. She shook her head and then leaned against him. Karrem set the plate down and patted her head. He could almost feel the frustration radiating off her. He kissed the top of her head before moving to go sit at the bar and eat his own breakfast.

Izumi looking defeated sat down next to him and started to eat. She seemed to be concentrating on something but he wasn't sure what. They had the palace to themselves for at least a week, was she trying to tell him about a project she wanted to take on?

Suddenly, Izumi put her fork down and announced she was going to have kittens. She smiled broadly as she repeated the signs for kittens multiple times. At first Karrem wondered if she wanted to get some kittens and then it clicked. A second later he was kissing her his arms wrapped protectively around her waist. He had never gone so fast from confused to happy in his life. Izumi kissed back and like a triumphant child made the sign for kittens again.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Please leave a comment if you feel so inclined and I'll see you later~ CC


	10. Repeat

Prompts: Fire, "This is going to be a great brawl", Kiyoshi Island, Animal-Human

Words: 2045  
Team: Ember Island Eelhounds  
Position: Fire

On Repeat

Sokka woke up to the ever present and calming feeling of the see moving the ship up and down. He stretched, yawned, and gently shook his son's shoulder to wake him up. They were on the second day of their trip to Kyoshi Island to celebrate the Avatar Kiyoshi's birthday with the rest of the gang; even Fire Lord Zuko was going to be there so Sokka had no choice but to go.

Karrem rolled over and looked at his father.

'What time?' he signed.

'Time to get up.' Sokka signed back. 'I am hungry.'

'You're always hungry.' Karrem signed before getting up and brushing his teeth.

Sokka had never anticipated being a single father, but he loved his son and life he was leading, even if he had to move from the South Pole to republic city to better take care of Karrem (It's rather hard to sign with gloves after all.) Sokka smiled and started to get ready for the day, he was hungry after all.

.o.

Karrem walked around the ship with a book under one arm. He was trying to take everything it but mostly he saw a lot of people running around not paying attention to anyone else. As Karrem walked towards what looked like a more secluded area when a boy about his age slammed into him.

The boy looked shocked and said something but he covered his mouth and moved his head away from Karrem.

Karrem tilted his head and signed. 'I can't hear what you said, can you repeat?'

The boy looked Karrem up and down then as if a light bulb had gone off started to yell at Karrem. The water tribe boy tried to read the other's lips but it was impossible.

"Oh forget it." Karrem said knowing that it probably did not sound like how it should. The other boy stopped yelling and Karrem just walked away to go read his book.

.o.

Sokka sunned himself on the deck barely paying attention to anyone around him. He vaguely registered the sound of a young boy yelling and another woman complaining about the clouds in the sky. Chuckling to himself Sokka yawned and napped for a few hours.

Once evening hit Sokka found Karrem halfway through his book and the two headed to the ship's buffet. They stood in line behind a large man with white hair and big brown eyes that looked tired. The man piled his plate high with vegetables and left for his table but not before looking over at Karrem and giving him a wink.

Sokka frowned. "Well that's creepy." He muttered before piling his plate full and heading to the table to eat.

Most of the dining room was full so Sokka and Karrem had to sit with other people. One was a sweet woman, who after learning Karrem was deaf was trying to learn a few basic signs, while the other was a man about Sokka's age who had a lot of opinions on parenting, none of which Sokka was interested it. At one point in the night the man had said something about Karrem being dumb and Sokka felt like slapping the man and left the table quickly after that too cool down and go to bed.

.o.

The swaying of ship once again waked up Sokka and he woke Karrem up and they started the day. Once again Sokka spent the day relaxing and Karrem read more of his book. He also told Sokka about the same boy yelling at him again.

'It was weird! It was like he didn't know me from yesterday.' Karrem signed before grabbing his plate.

Sokka set his plate down. 'Well people are idiots. I'm sorry he yelled at you.'

Karrem set his plate now full of picken down. 'It's ok, it wasn't like I could hear it.' He smiled and then moved to put move picken on his plate.

Sokka rolled his eyes and smiled. He loved Karrem's attitude it was so relaxed and calm just like his mother but he got his appetite from him. Again they were behind the big man who this time looked at Karrem's plate and handed him his plate full of vegetable. He signed something to Karrem and then went back to get a new plate.

At the table Sokka asked what he had said.

'He said I needed to eat more vegetables.'

'Oh well you probably do.' Sokka admitted before turning to the table and seeing the same couple from the night before.

Again the woman tried to learn a few more signs, and seemed to have forgotten the ones from the night before while the man once again gave the same unsolicited advice from the night before and insulted Karrem. This time Sokka stood up and gave the man a piece of his mind before grabbing Karrem's hand and storming out into the night. He looked up at the stars noticing they weren't as close to Kyoshi island as they should be.

Grumbling under his breath Sokka went back to his cabin and went to bed.

.o.

The next day, Sokka paid close attention to his surroundings. He sat in his deck chair listening and watching as everyone made the same movements as the day before. He even humorously watched as the little yelling boy ran into nothing and then yelled at it. Sokka narrowed his eyes.

"So the pattern repeats even when we don't interact with them. Interesting." He looked over at Karrem and tapped his shoulder. 'How's the book?' He asked.

'Good." Karrem answered before going back to reading.

At the dinner line, everything was the same except the pudgy man was now behind them in line. He signed hello and told them to enjoy the night sky and walked away with a platter of vegetables. Sokka frowned. "I really don't trust him." He muttered before sitting by the same couple and watching the same conversation play out until the man again insulted Karrem. This time Sokka stabbed the man with is dinner knife.

"My son is not an idiot you jackass!" Sokka yelled before several men who looked a lot like the man he had just stabbed. "Heh, apparently you have brothers." Sokka hunched down and smirked. "This is going to be a great brawl."

It had been a long time since Sokka had been in a fight like this but it felt good to punch the ugly off the men's faces. Even Karrem helped out by water bending his drink into ice and knocking a knife out of one of the men's hands. It felt so good even if they did end up all in the ship's brig.

Sokka sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, can't say I didn't de sever this."

"Yes, you were being an outright fool! How could you be so irresponsible with Karrem at your side he could have been injured!"

Sokka looked over and the angry moon spirit floating by the window. "That jackass was calling our son an idiot! What was I supposed to do? It was day three of dealing with that guy!"

Yue crossed her arms. "Ignored him, and possibly focus on the fact time is repeating! That would be on the top of my list!"

"Well sorry moon! Maybe I'm still trying to work it all out! And wait you know time is repeating? Why? Why is it repeating?!"

Yue sighed. "Because I keep making it repeat."

Sokka blinked. "Why? Is it because you want to torture me? Do you want to keep me from seeing Suki and possibly patch things up? Are you jealous?!"

"No, I'm bigger than that. I keep repeating the day because there's a spirit on this ship and at midnight every night he blows the ship up!"

"Oh." Sokka looked down. "That would make sense but why not stop it yourself?"

"I cannot be where the moon is not and there are no windows in the boiler room. I sent Appa here to help, even gave him a human form but he is easily distracted by the buffet." She frowned. "Maybe I should have gotten Momo instead."

Sokka shock his head. "No! You should have told me earlier!"

"I didn't want to worry you or put Karrem in danger." Yue sat down on the cot and petted Karrem's white hair. "I love both of you and I didn't want to either of you in danger."

Sokka sighed. "I wish you had told me earlier. I know you care, and I want to protect Karrem just as much as you. So how do I keep this day from repeating?"

"You need to stop the spirit from blowing up the ship's boiler. Do that, and I won't repeat the day."

"Ok so what am I looking for? What is-"

.o.

Sokka woke up in his bed while Karrem slept soundly in his bed. Getting up Sokka kissed his son's cheek and got dressed. He was going to find this spirit and get passed this day. He walked out onto the deck and headed towards the boilers.

.o.

Waking up again in the same room with the swaying Sokka looked over at Karrem who was already awake.

'So that didn't work either.' Karrem signed.

'Yeah, we got try something else.' Sokka sighed. They have been stuck in this hellish cycle for what felt like years. He felt tired and Karrem had gone from the little boy he loved to a surely adolescent who had read every book on the ship and mastered what few waterbending moves Katara had taught him.

So many times Sokka had almost stopped the spirit but as soon as he saw Sokka he blew the boiler and Sokka woke up in his bed.

'Any ideas?' He asked Karrem.

Karrem shrugged and looked at his latest book. It was a horror book based on true events. 'I do but it's a bad idea.'

'What is it?'

'I could try to bloodbend the spirit, like the villain in my horror book.' Karrem held the book then put it down. 'I could ask mom to help me.'

Sokka bit his lip. 'I don't know. You're aunt was pretty clear on that being evil.'

Karrem looked frustrated. 'We are stuck in a loop! We've been here for years! For years dying in a fiery blast! This is evil! This needs to stop!' There were tears in Karrem's eyes.

Sokka hung his head before nodded. 'Ok, I'll try to stop the spirit tonight and you talk to your mom. She can teach you, she's the moon she'll know how."

.o.

Two weeks after that discussion Sokka found himself face to face with the fire spirit who instead of blowing up the boiler again was now trying to scratch off his face. The spirit was an impish creature and had very sharp claws that were determined to take Sokka's eye out.

Sokka watched as the creature raised its claw and cringed waiting for the pain to start and then wake up again in his room but it never came. Opening an eye, Sokka saw the imp frozen in mid pose then the spirit was thrown out the door which Karrem in fast pursuit. Quickly getting to his feet Sokka ran after the two and out into on to the deck. The imp dove and weaved through the crowds and was about to jump into the water when Appa reached out and grabbed the spirit. For a few moments the spirit struggled then it relaxed and the four of them waited for Yue.

.o.

Sokka woke up and stretched. He looked around and saw that Karrem was sound asleep in the other bed. Panicking Sokka rushed out onto the deck and gave a sigh of relief spotting Kyoshi Island in the distance. Taking a deep breath Sokka looked up at the sky.

"Thank you." He smiled and looked back at the island. "I can't wait to get off this fucking boat!"

"Do you mind sir?!" The jackass from last night scolded. "I know you're child is deaf but the rest of us can hear you clearly!"

Sokka smiled. "Yeah, I don't care."


End file.
